


When Did This Storm Begin?

by ScaryPunkGhost



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), Pricefield (Life Is Strange)
Genre: Explicit Language, F/F, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, LGBTQ Character, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-01 03:44:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5190884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScaryPunkGhost/pseuds/ScaryPunkGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Max chose to save Chloe and now it's their job to save Arcadia Bay. When her powers mysteriously disappear, they realize that for once they have to get everything right the first time. Who will live and who will die? And will they be able to live with the guilt of their decisions?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Better Off This Way

The storm raged on as they watched from the cliff. Having torn up the picture, Max felt helpless. She knew she was being selfish for choosing Chloe over an entire town, but the thought of letting her beautiful and tragic partner die was too much to bear. She turned away and buried her face in Chloe’s neck, not being able to face the tornado about to ravage Arcadia Bay. As she felt Chloe’s arms pull her in tighter, she felt everything else melt away. There was nothing else in this moment, just them, locked together in a loving embrace. 

“Chloe, I love you.” Max whispered, barely audible above the sounds of the storm. 

“Max-“ Chloe began, pulling away to meet Max’s eyes. Suddenly a sharp pain tore through Max’s consciousness, blurring her vision and making her legs cave in underneath her. As her knees hit the ground, she was deafened by a ringing in her ears. The pain enveloped her entire being and all she could do was sit there and let it overtake her. 

Chloe reached out, letting herself fall to her knees beside Max. Placing her hands on the other girl’s back, she tried to soothe her out of this episode. Max looked so confused and pained, different from the other times this happened. Blood slowly trickled out of her nostrils. Typical. But this time traces of blood leaked out of her eyes and mouth as well. She began to heave, causing the blood to come out of her mouth in large rivers, rather than small streams. Chloe knew this was not right. She felt so helpless watching the person she cared about the most be in so much pain. 

Finally the coughing stopped, and the blood began to slow. The last few raindrops washed the remnants off of Max’s pale face. Max let herself rest on Chloe’s lap as the pain subsided. The storm had passed and the moon lit up the night sky, revealing an eerie scene. Chloe leaned back, laying down on the cold, hard ground. Max slowly pulled herself along the ground to lay her head next to the blue haired girl.

“I’m sorry.” Max whispered. The new silence in the air made her voice sound a little too loud. Chloe turned her head to look Max in the eyes. She wrapped her arm around Max and pulled her in closer. 

“I’m just glad you’re okay. We need to find out how to stop these blackouts.” Chloe said quietly, planting a delicate kiss on Max’s chilled forehead. They stayed like this, watching the stars, and occasionally each other, until the sun began to rise. Max let thoughts of the past week invade her brain. She thought of when she first came back to Arcadia Bay, no one knew who she was anymore. She remembered the longing she felt for a real friend, for Chloe. At the time she couldn’t admit what those feelings meant, all she let herself feel was guilt for the five years she hadn’t contacted her best friend once. She thought about making her first real friend at Blackwell, at least she thought Warren was her friend, but it turned out that he wasn’t interested in being her friend at all. Max decided that she knew all along, she was just afraid to set him straight because she knew she wasn’t. Despite everything that happened, she knew that she wouldn’t change anything about her time with Chloe. Realizing her true feelings for the depressed punk was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She grew up with Chloe. Chloe, who was always there for her, who had been through absolute fucking Hell, who had been fucked over or abandoned by everyone she cared about, but still found forgiveness and compassion in heart. She knew that Chloe would feel guilty about this choice for the rest of her life, but Max couldn’t help but think: How could the world be better off without Chloe?

Chloe stood first so she could help Max up. The two of them walked to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the destruction they had caused. Cars and dead whales were strewn across the shore. Franks RV was torn in two. They could see the buildings in the distance, ripped apart and crumbling. Some stayed standing, but all of them were damaged, pierced by signs and lampposts and trees. Somehow it all looked beautiful in the early morning light. The scene was golden, filling the pair with a glimmer of hope and rebirth.

“Who knows, maybe this will turn out to be a good thing.” Chloe broke their silence, pulling Max into another tight embrace, resting her chin on top of the small girl’s head. Max wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever, on this cliff in the cool morning air with Chloe. Always with Chloe. Breathing her in, feeling her, loving her. But it was Max who pulled away first, because she knew they couldn’t rest for long. Chloe grabbed Max’s hand and held it in her own with a gentle fervour that told Max she wasn’t the only one whose soul was shredded. They left their looking post on the cliff and made the difficult trek back to Chloe’s truck hand in hand. 

Like most of the day, they were silent and somber as they drove past all of the wreckage, but Chloe made sure to keep Max’s hand held tightly. They had been through so much together in just one week, it was hard to imagine not being together at this exact moment in time. 

Chloe pulled her truck up beside the diner, which was still standing. Both girls paused for a moment before making their way into the worn down building. Max could tell that Chloe was afraid of what they might find inside, so she held her hand even tighter, a symbol of support and understanding. She stopped, urging Chloe to stop with her.

“Che, I just want you to know that whatever we find here, if everyone is dead and all that’s left of Arcadia Bay is just you and me and the wreckage,” Max paused, sucking in a shallow breath and grabbing Chloe’s other hand, “I’ll always believe that I made the right choice. You are important, Chloe Price, you matter.”

“Thank you, Max. You’ll never know how much that means to me.” Chloe pulled the shorter girl close to her and gave her squeeze. “I’m so glad you came back.”

“Me too.” Max leaned into the hug, letting herself relish in possibly the last happy moment of the day. After standing this way for a few minutes, the duo decided it was time to be brave and see what was waiting for them in the oh so familiar diner. Max felt Chloe’s hand tense up in her own as she pushed open the door into the room where Max had been just several hours before this, in a different reality.

“Oh my God.” They breathed at the same time as they stood hand in hand.


	2. Bittersweet

“Chloe? Oh! Chloe!” Joyce rose from her position on the floor and embraced Chloe in a desperate hug. “Chloe I’m so glad you’re okay. Oh God, Chloe. Thank God.”

Chloe wrapped her weary arms tightly around her tired mother. Max couldn’t help but smile at the touching moment. The spark of hope rose more and more inside of her. She looked around at all of the other people in the diner; Warren, Frank, and even Pompidou all survived. Warren raced over and hugged Max. It had been a different reality when she told him the truth about everything, so he had no clue about the choice she just made. Would he still be her friend if he knew that she had willingly made the choice to sacrifice him and everyone else for just one person? Would the guilt ever stop haunting her? Would she let it?

“Max! I’m so glad you’re okay.” He said, looking a bit disappointed that she ended the hug so soon. Max knew about his feelings for her and didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, especially since she had feelings for Chloe and didn’t want to give her the wrong idea either. 

“Thanks Warren. I’m glad you’re alright, too. I can’t believe the diner survived the tornado. I mean – I’m so glad it did, but it’s just so surreal.” Max turned to check on Chloe, who was now crying and talking to her mom about the storm. She didn’t really feel like talking to Warren, she just wanted to be with Chloe. Everything always came back to Chloe. 

“Max? Hello? Max, are you okay?” Warren was waving a hand in front of her face, trying to catch her attention. Max sighed.

“Sorry Warren, I need to go check on Frank.” She turned on her heel and crouched down beside Frank. In this reality she hadn’t been to the diner at all, so Frank didn’t know about Rachel yet either. She contemplated if she should tell him the truth, but decided that he needed to know the truth. Maybe he would finally become an upstanding citizen if he knew what he had contributed to. 

“Hey Frank. How are you doing?” She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked at her with tired eyes. 

“I’m alive.” He sighed. “Did you find Rachel?”

“Frank, I…” Max paused, glancing over at Chloe. She was still engulfed in conversation with her mom. Max thought maybe it would be best to wait and have this conversation with Chloe present, so she stuck out her hand to rewind. Nothing happened. No pain or nosebleed either. 

“Well? Where is she?” Frank was getting irritable, he shoved Max’s hand off his shoulder and slid out of her reach. She tried again to rewind, but still no results.

“I-I, um, I… need Chloe.” Max turned and saw Chloe eyeing her worriedly. She approached them and lowered herself to their level. 

“What’s going on?! Did you idiots find Rachel or not?” Frank shouted at them. Max was still focused on her power, or lack thereof. 

“Frank… Rachel is… dead.” Chloe said quietly. She placed her hand on the small of Max’s back, gently rubbing. Chloe began to choke up, thinking of the girl she loved dead and buried. Max shuffled closer to her, pulling her into a reassuring half hug. This was more important, her lack of powers would have to wait. 

“What? Rachel? No, not Rachel. She was the one good thing in my life. I always knew I was too old, I always knew she would leave me, but not like this. How can she be dead?” Frank sputtered, lowering his head into his hands. “What happened to her?”

“Nathan accidentally overdosed her. He was trying to impress my teacher, Mark Jefferson. They were drugging and kidnapping girls so they could… rape them… and take pictures of them without them remembering.” Max looked down, she felt Chloe’s eyes burn a hole in her face. She hadn’t told Chloe everything that happened to her in the dark room. 

“If… If Nathan dosed her then that means I… I… I knew I shouldn’t have hooked up with that sick punk! Pompidou always hated him.” 

“I’m sorry, Frank. I’m so sorry. I wish things could have been different. You’re not a bad person Frank. I truly believe that.” Max reassured him. 

“Thanks, kid. You’re not so bad either. Don’t get me wrong, I still think you’re weird. But I can see why Chloe likes you.”

Max and Chloe left Frank alone and went back over to Joyce.

“Now that the storm has passed, you should get out of here, Joyce. We need to see if anyone else survived.” Max said calmly. 

“Oh honey. You’ve been through so much and you’re still thinking about everyone else.” Joyce smiled and gave Max a quick hug.

“I have to.” Max said quietly. 

They began rounding everyone up and led them all outside. They discussed what they were all going to do next. Max and Chloe insisted on driving around to find survivors, meanwhile everyone else was going to try to walk to find help and supplies. They agreed to meet back at the diner in a few hours.

Chloe leaned against her truck and pulled out her pack of cigarettes. Max just stood there trying to think of where they should go first.

“How fucked up is it that I just had to tell the guy who loved the girl that I loved that girl that we both loved is dead?” Chloe spat while trying to light the cigarette dangling from her lips.

“Hella fucked up.” Max replied absent mindedly. 

“Max, I’m still not really sure how you’re power works with all of the other realities and shit, but when you were in the dark room did Jefferson… I mean were you…” Chloe was having trouble getting the words to come out. Max could hear the strain in her voice, she could feel the pain.

“Yes.” Max rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, staring at the ground. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Chloe. She felt ashamed, dirty, wrong. 

“Shit.” Chloe muttered, tossing her still lit cigarette aside and wrapping her slender arms around Max. “I’m so sorry, Max. No one should have to go through that. Especially not you. I wish I could have protected you.” 

Max nuzzled into Chloe’s neck and let the hot tears flow down her face. Jefferson took advantage of her in another reality, but it still felt so real. Max wanted to tell Chloe that her powers were gone, but she could tell by Chloe’s breathing that she was crying too. She didn’t want to interrupt this moment, so instead she clung onto the older girl like she could disappear at any moment. Max never realized how much she needed Chloe. Like they were pieces of the same puzzle and finally figured out they needed to complete each other.


	3. Fragile Figures

“Where to first?” Chloe chirped as she started up the truck. It was good to see her trying to be herself even after everything they’ve been through. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they’d almost constantly been making some form of physically contact throughout the day. At least that was making Max feel happier. Despite all of the sadness and confusion inside her, there was a bubbling in the pit of her stomach that told her everything was going to be okay as long as she had this beautiful punk by her side. Max rubbed her thumb on the back of Chloe’s hand and smiled to herself.  
“Let go to the hospital. I want to make sure Kate is okay. Hopefully there will be lots of supplies and people to help there.”  
Max made sure to keep an eye out for any survivors as they drove through the town. Whenever they saw someone, Chloe would stop and tell them to head to the Two Whales. As they passed by more and more people, Max felt relief wash over her, she was beginning to feel more confident that she had made the right choice. As they pulled up to the hospital, Max was all the more relieved to see that it wasn’t just a pile of debris.  
“Thank God the Prescott’s paid for this building.” Max exhaled, hastily exiting the truck. The recently renovated hospital was still mostly intact; spare a few holes in the structure and cars hanging precariously from the walls. Chloe sped her pace to a light jog, slowing to a walk once she reached Max’s side. Max gently opened the doors to the main entrance of the hospital. The last time she had been to the hospital it had been bursting with life and noise and she was blinded by the fluorescent white lights. This time the power was out and the backup generator seemed to be dying. The dim lights flickered every few seconds, and the entire building was eerily quiet. 

“Hello? Is anyone there? We’re here to help!” Max shouted out into the vast emptiness of the halls. No answer. They wandered around, trying to find any signs of life. All of the patient’s rooms were empty, even Kate’s. Chloe could tell by the hunch of Max’s shoulders that she was thinking the worst. She reached out her hand and laced their cold fingers together tightly. The gesture made Max visibly relax slightly. Chloe was thankful for that.

They were both ready to give up when the lights suddenly shut off completely, causing a few screams in the distance. Max raced forward into the darkness, towards the promise of life. Chloe followed.  
The two burst through the double doors into the emergency room waiting area. It was almost pitch black, machines flashed faint green and red and yellow, the room was filled with nervous murmurs and supressed cries. Max pulled out her phone and let the flashlight illuminate the depressing space. There were dozens of people packed into the small waiting area: doctors, patients, visitors… Kate.

“Kate! Thank God!” Max shouted, pushing her way through the crowd to hold her friend once again. 

“Max? I can’t believe it. We thought everyone else was dead.” Kate held on tightly, filling Max with joy and relief. 

“You don’t know how good it is to see you again.” Max pulled away and squeezed Kate’s shoulders, taking in the sight of her again. The beam of light streaming from Max’s phone made Kate look even more tired than the last time Max had seen her. "There is a group of people holed up at The Two Whales, looking for supplies and other survivors. Chloe and I have been searching places farther from town.” Max kept one hand on Kate while she turned and gestured to everyone else with the other. 

A doctor explained that the most critical patients had to stay at the hospital. Despite having no power, the backup generator would last for 72 more hours now that everything had been shut down except for the medical equipment. They agreed to send the able patients and a few doctors with supplies to help at the diner. They spent an hour loading Chloe’s pickup and a most intact ambulance with all the gear they needed. Five people squished into the cab of Chloe’s truck, with ten more sitting in the bed. The other 20 people somehow managed to all fit in the ambulance and then they were on their way. Max enjoyed the drive, she was sandwiched between Chloe and Kate and for the first time she felt warm and safe.

Joyce and the others had yet to return to the diner, so after helping unload supplies and making sure everyone was okay, Max and Chloe decided to head out again, looking somewhere else for more people in need of help. The sun was still casting light upon the town, and they wanted to find as many people as they could before it was too dark.

“Where to now, captain?” Chloe said lightly, resting her hand on Max’s leg. The distance between them felt too weird so Max slid closer until they were side by side. 

“Blackwell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who is giving this story a chance! I'm posting two chapters this week since this one is pretty short.  
> And again, I really appreciate any feedback you may have! Tips, criticism, applause, anything! Tell me how I'm doing :)


	4. Bad News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm a day late, I was super busy yesterday! Here is the latest chapter

Blackwell was absolutely demolished. The main school building had crumbled into several piles of brick, the pool was toppled from the weight of cars that smashed into, and the dorms couldn’t even be seen. Max saw that a group of students and faculty had gathered by the, now destroyed, fountain. They all looked somber and slightly confused.

Max and Chloe hopped out of the truck and made their way towards the group. Principal Wells was nowhere in sight so Ms. Grant seemed to be the one taking charge of the situation. Students sat sporadically across the shattered concrete. There were only a dozen or so people, most of whom she didn’t really know, making Max think the worst. Taylor and Courtney were sitting in silence like they had seen something horrible. Daniel sat off to the side trying to console a teary eyed Brooke. Trevor was by himself, cradling his head in his hands. Max realized that Ms. Grant was actually the only faculty member there. 

“Max! There you are. I was worried that you might have been stuck in the dorms.” Ms. Grant said, trying to be cheerful for the sake of all the younger people in her presence. Max could tell she was broken.

“Is this… Are you the only surivors?” Max asked weakly, gesturing to the small amount of students around.

“I think so. The students witnessed their friends get crushed by the collapsing dorms, no one wants to see anymore death. And no one has come to help us.”

“I don’t think there is anyone to help.” Max thought about the fact that out of all the people in Arcadia Bay, probably only a few hundred of them actually survived, if there’s even that many. She glanced over at Chloe, who seemed to be worried about something of her own. She reached out her hand to grab Chloe’s, giving her a reassuring squeeze that everything would be okay as long as they were together. “We’ll go look for more survivors so you don’t have to. There are some more people downtown, we’re meeting at the Two Whales later. You should gather the students and head there now.” 

“I always knew you were destined for great things, Max Caulfield. I don’t know what we would do in this situation without you.” Ms. Grant gently nodded her head and began speaking to the kids under her protection.

Max and Chloe made their way towards the dorms first, hoping for some good news. The building was more intact than the other two school buildings, but there was enough damage to know that there would be nothing good about it. Max watched as one lonely, transparent squirrel ran by her, and her heart sunk as she glanced at the maintenance shed. Her legs carried her to the open door without her consent. She couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of Samuel, pale and lifeless, pierced by a large splinter of the tobanga. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as she closed her eyes to the horrible sight. A slender pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her away from the ghastly scene. Max took a moment to catch her breath before the two began to search the rest of the rubble. 

“Max, get ready to use your rewind powers.” Chloe warned right before she jerked open the large metal doors. Max reached out to pull Chloe back, not wanting to risk something happening if her powers really were gone for good. 

“Chloe, we need to be more cautious. I think- I think my powers are gone. I think the storm took them away. I think that’s why I collapsed at the lighthouse.” Max finally admitted, feeling relieved to get it off her chest. 

“What?” Chloe looked like she was in shock. “I- I don’t know what to say. If this means you won’t get any more nosebleeds or blackouts, then I’m relieved. I just hope that we don’t fuck anything else up.”

Max nodded, she was glad that Chloe wasn’t bummed about her losing her power. She clasped her hand around Chloe’s and pulled her up a pile of bricks. A few feet away from them Max spotted Juliet, kneeling above something, crying. 

“Juliet!” Max shouted, stumbling her way over to the reporter. “Are you alright?” 

Juliet looked up at Max with dead eyes, the emptiness gathered in the pit of her stomach as she realized why Juliet looked this way.

“No. Is that-? Oh, God, no. No, not Dana.” Max turned away, hiding herself in Chloe yet again. She couldn’t bear to look at the bloodied corpse laying in front of them. 

“She was my best friend.” Juliet whispered. Max couldn’t help but imagine herself in this situation with Chloe. The thought was enough to make her sick. She gave Chloe a pleading look, begging her to take them both away from their friend’s body. Chloe pushed her away, back towards the courtyard and out of the piles of bricks and bodies. 

“I’m so sorry.” Chloe whispered as she knelt down beside Juliet. She pulled her into a half hug, gently lifting her to her feet. Chloe guided her out of the barely standing building, realizing that Juliet’s leg was broken and bleeding. Max stepped up to help carry Juliet to Chloe’s truck. Max stayed in the vehicle with Juliet, while Chloe went to check the other two buildings for survivors. A few other students Max wasn’t familiar with followed Chloe back to the truck. 

They drove in silence back to the diner. Everyone else had already reunited and they were standing outside hugging and crying and sharing their war stories. Warren and Brooke stood together, hand in hand. 

Finally, Max thought to herself. She would have laughed if she knew that Chloe was thinking the same thing. The group made their way over to the rest of the survivors, handing Juliet off to the doctors.

The sun had begun to set, letting the moon take its turn cascading light across the earth. Everyone seemed relieved to finally get out of the truck and meet up with friends and loved ones. Joyce and the others from the diner group were handing out some blankets and clothes they had found on their search. They had also found a few more working vehicles, which would be good for when they decided to leave the bay. Kate took a seat beside Juliet, comforting her while a doctor worked on her leg. Juliet still looked like she was in shock, maybe she would never get over the pain of watching her best friend die. Max wondered what it would be like to watch someone you love die and not be able to go back and change things. She shook the thought of her head, hoping to never find out. 

Chloe pulled Max over to a remotely secluded corner. Max leaned into her out of habit. 

“There’s still one more place we have to go.” Max said solemnly. She desperately didn’t want to go back, but if she remembered correctly, Victoria would be there… With Jefferson. Chloe knew where Max was talking about, and she felt the small girl tense up in her arms.

“I can go alone, Max, I still have my gun.” 

“Chloe!” Max shoved her a little. “By now you should know that I’m not going to risk losing you. We go together or we don’t go at all. And that’s not an option, so let’s go. We could use all of the food stored down there anyways. I’m starving, and I’m sure everyone else is too.”

Chloe just smiled. Throughout their whole friendship, she had always been the brave one, the bold one, the leader. But the tables had turned and Max really was an everyday hero. Though that title had lost all of its significance after a certain despicable someone tarnished it with his incessant nattering. Max went to speak to Joyce about where they were going and why, to some extent. No way would Joyce let them go on their own if she knew what was really going down. But the promise of food would convince her to let them go for sure. She had enough to worry about with being the ring leader of all the refugees, and with David still missing. Chloe decided to take this opportunity to head out for a smoke, something she had not gotten to do all day, a personal record. 

The sun was still shining, and the moon was on its way. Their collaboration cast a brilliant pink glow across the town. Chloe inhaled the calming smoke into her lungs as she leaned against her truck. With each inhale and exhale of smoke she began to feel more relaxed, but she couldn’t keep out the thoughts of how no one would be in this situation if she had just died like she was supposed to. It had become apparent to her that the world desperately wanted her dead. Hell, even she wanted herself dead half the time.

“Quick, let’s go before Warren asks to come with us! He overheard my conversation with Joyce and I ran out of there before he had a chance to talk to me.” Max quietly shouted, sliding in the truck through the driver’s door. Chloe hopped in beside her and started the engine. She saw Warren come out the side of the diner, and quickly drove away. 

“Well, that was a close one.” Chloe said lightly, gently nudging Max with her shoulder. Max just leaned her head on Chloe and took a deep breath.

“I’m so tired, this day could not be over soon enough.” Max closed her eyes and let herself drift off.


	5. When Dreams Become Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for encouraging comments! I'm really glad you like my story!

The tornado came towards them, ripping up everything in its path. Max tried to pull Chloe away to safety, but she was cemented to the ground. The fear bubbled inside of her and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“Max, I thought you were my friend.” Dana’s voice tore through Max’s head like a chainsaw. 

“Dana, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.” Max pleaded with her. “I would do anything to bring you back! You have to believe me!”

“Kill Chloe.” Dana’s voice was now accompanied by others, they chanted it over and over again in a demonic symphony, “Kill Chloe. Kill Chloe. Kill Chloe.”

“I can’t do that. I won’t. I won’t do it.” Max cried out. “I love her. I love her so much.”

“Max!” A new voice joined in, so loud and familiar that it drowned out all the others. “Max! You’re okay. Max! Max, wake up!” 

With a sharp intake of air, Max’s eyes burst open. She struggled to catch her breath and ground herself. She looked up at Chloe, concerned colored the pretty punk’s face. Max wrapped her arms around her neck and let herself breathe her in. 

“That sounded like a hella intense dream, Maximus.” Chloe was gently stroking Max’s hair, calming her. 

“You don’t wanna know.” Max said simply. “Are we here?” 

She looked around at the moonlit scene, there were no trees or buildings in sight, just more rubble. 

“The tornado hit here hard. We’re going to have to dig through the remnants of the barn to find the dark room bunker.” Chloe pulled an old flashlight out of her glove compartment, smacking it a couple of times to get it to work. She got out of the truck and handed the flashlight to Max. “I dig, you stand guard. Try not to let me die this time.” 

“Chloe…”

“I know! Just trying to lighten the mood!” Chloe raised her hands defensively. 

“I don’t think the mood will ever get lighter.” Max said quietly to herself. She took Chloe’s gun out of her pants and stood ready for battle. 

The digging was taking a little too long, so she eventually joined in to take some of the pressure off Chloe. They weren’t leaving until they found Victoria. 

“So… Do you want to tell me what you were dreaming about? You were saying some pretty intense things.” Chloe said, and Max couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like there was a hint of awkwardness to the question.

“I was talking in my sleep?! Oh my dog. Embarrassing.” Max facepalmed. 

“It was cute.” Max felt the heat rising in her cheeks as Chloe complimented her.

“I was dreaming about the storm, and Dana.” Max paused, “And you.”

“Ooooh. What about me?” 

“I had to- Wait hold on I think I found it!” Max dropped to her knees and started shoving planks of wood aside. “Yes! This is it!”

Chloe helped her open the heavy door. It seemed much more difficult this time around because both of them were exhausted and hungry. Max handed the gun back to Chloe, knowing that she had more experience with fire power. They crept towards the final door, the only thing between them and Victoria. Between them and Jefferson. Max entered the code that had been burned into her brain and heard the familiar click as the door unlocked. She gestured at Chloe to wait before she heaved it open. They entered the room side by side, equipped with the flashlight and the gun. The room was dark, surprising, Max thought it would have had its own power source. She darted the flashlight around so that Jefferson wouldn’t be able to pop out and take them by surprise. As they rounded the corner they saw Victoria tied up in the chair, unconscious. Max ran over to her, quickly undoing the straps that held her in place. 

With the flashlight on the ground, pointing at the wall, Chloe couldn’t see much of anything. It was too suspicious that Victoria was here but Jefferson wasn’t, she wasn’t ready to let her guard down just yet. She fine-tuned her senses, trying to hear any movements around her. 

“No..” Max said weakly. Chloe saw her fall to the floor, her head landing at the feet of their villain. It was too dark to be sure, but Chloe didn’t have time to think it over. She just pulled the trigger. Contact. She was hyper aware of everything, hearing the bullet tear through clothing and flesh. The hiss as Jefferson realized he had been bested. The thud as his heavy body hit the ground. Chloe sauntered over and picked up the flashlight, shining it right on his evil face.

“You- You don’t have to do this!” Jefferson pleaded, he looked so pathetic it almost made Chloe feel bad for him. Almost.

“This is for Rachel.” She said, firing the gun. He cried out in pain, Chloe’s favorite sound. She crouched down beside him, holding the gun right to his forehead. She leaned in so that their faces were almost touching, she had to fight the urge to cringe as his sour breath invaded her nostrils. 

“You don’t understand.” He choked out weakly, “This is my life’s work, I need to finish my masterp-“

“And this is for Max.” She unleashed one last bullet right into his brain. The life faded from his cruel face, it was such a sweet sight for her sore eyes.

Chloe dropped the gun beside the fresh corpse in front of her. The sick sound of blood cushioning the weapons fall made her want to vomit. The reality of what she had done began to sink in, murder is murder regardless of the circumstances. No matter how much he deserved to die, he was unarmed, and Chloe couldn’t help but be riddled with guilt. She crawled over to Max and sat with her in the dark until she woke up.

Max’s mind was filled with twists and turns and terrors. She saw Nathan, screaming at her for not caring what he was going through. She wanted to feel bad for him, but the pictures he had of Chloe kept circling around her head, filling her with rage and disgust. She saw Jefferson slit Nathan’s throat, saw him laugh as the boy that idolized him choked out his final breaths. Jefferson approached her, reached out to touch her.

“We could be together, Max.” His voice made her cringe. “I know you liked it. I know you want it again. Maybe this time I’ll let you feel like you have some control.”

She tried to run, but her body wouldn’t listen. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything. It was like she was watching a different version of herself from the outside. Jefferson roughly grabbed Max’s arm, pulled her closer, yet she still couldn’t leave. His hand sent a thrum of horror through her, the bile rose in her throat and she felt dirty again. She felt everything that happened to her in every reality. Every moment of pain, anger, disgust, shock, every decision and every death that she saw replayed all at once. She was frozen in time, stuck in the hands of her abuser, a murderer. 

Someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her out of Jefferson’s grip. She watched as he faded away, and she wasn’t sure but she thought she saw blood running down his face. Max turned to see Rachel standing in front of her.

“Max, don’t let everything that’s happened overcome you. You did everything right. You did more than anyone else would have.” Rachel offered a wise smile. “I know that you and I would have been great friends, and I’m so glad that Chloe has you. Take care of her, Max. She needs you.”

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. I tried to fix everything, I did, but I failed.”

“No, Max, you didn’t fail. The world failed you. This place, Arcadia Bay, it’s been sick for years. No matter what you chose, Jefferson would have continued his sick project, I would have died, and the storm would have happened. Your powers weren’t given to you so you could save the bay, they were given to you so you could save Chloe. And you did. And along the way you saved a lot of other people, too. Stop letting the guilt eat you up. You made the right decision. You’re a hero, Max! Now it’s time to start acting like one.”

Rachel disappeared, leaving Max alone in her own brain. A blue butterfly fluttered towards her, landing on her shoulder. 

“It’s time to wake up, Max.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've been brave enough to post a story here so I hope you enjoy it! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of it! I would love to hear any thoughts on my work (Good or bad)  
> The rest of the chapters will be longer than this one. I spent forever writing it and didn't realize how small it was until I posted it here.  
> Second chapter will be posted a week from now.


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